Chicago O'Hare will be Emirates' 9th U.S. destination
Emirates will make Chicago O'Hare its newest U.S. destination, launching nonstop flights to its Dubai hub on Aug. 5.
The carrier will operate one daily round-trip flight between Chicago and Dubai on Boeing 777-200LR jets that have eight first-class "suites," 42 business-class seats and 216 in economy.
"Chicago has long been a destination in the United States which Emirates has wished to serve," Emirates President Tim Clark says in a statement detailing the new route. "We welcome the chance to establish a non-stop trade bridge between these two great cities and, via our Dubai hub, to more efficiently link Chicago area passengers and shippers with our international network beyond Dubai to over 140 destinations spanning six continents."
The Chicago-bound flight will depart Dubai at 9:45 a.m. and land at O'Hare at 3:25 p.m., all times local. The Dubai-bound flight will depart O'Hare at 8:35 p.m. and land in Dubai at 7:10 p.m. the following day (all times local).
Chicago will become Emirates' ninth destination in the USA. Its others are Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington Dulles.
More broadly, Emirates' new route furthers a rapid U.S. expansion effort already underway by Emirates and its two big Middle East rivals: Qatar Airways and Etihad.
As for Emirates, its eighth U.S. route will launch in just about two weeks. That will be to Boston, with daily nonstop service to Dubai starting March 10.
Also in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad plans to add its fifth U.S. destination in December with service to Dallas/Fort Worth. The carrier's fourth U.S. route — to Los Angeles — will begin in June.
Doha-based Qatar Airways has been ramping up its U.S. presence, as well. The carrier is scheduled to add its fifth and sixth U.S. destinations this year when it begins flights to Philadelphia (April 2) and to Miami (June 10). Qatar Airways added its own service to Chicago O'Hare this past April.